Anti-Semitism Official: Jews and Muslims Have Much in Common
Hannah Rosenthal, the Obama administration’s anti-Semitism envoy, in an address to a U.S. Shia Muslim umbrella group said the Jewish and Muslim communities have much in common.
“While we Jews and Muslims may have highly educated communities, we also have fears about perceptions that others hold of our traditions,” Rosenthal said in a Sept. 2 address to a conference of the Islamic Information Center, a group that disseminates information on Shia Islam to non-Muslims.
“According to a recent report, Muslims and Jews are more likely than adherents of any other tradition to conceal our religious identity. Sixty percent of Muslim Americans polled say they experience prejudice against Muslims. The fact that Muslims experience prejudice here in America concerns me as an American, as a Jew and as a U.S. government official.”
Rosenthal outlined her efforts to combat anti-Semitism. She did not discuss Holocaust denial in Iran and the blurring of lines between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
